Can't Erase The Memory
by Kyra5972
Summary: Seeing Sam Evans get tackled was like watching her cousin get injured all over again.


**Title:** Can't Erase The Memory

**Author:** Kyra

**Disclaimer:** I don't own them; if I did I wouldn't be writing fanfiction.

**Summary:** Seeing Sam Evans get tackled was like watching her cousin get injured all over again. Glee/Friday Night Lights, Brittany-centric

**Pairings:** None

**Spoilers:** Pilot of Friday Night Lights.

**Warnings:** None.

**A/N:** This first part of this takes place around the pilot for both shows. I'm pretending that the first game of the season for the Panthers was on the last Friday of August and that McKinley's school year started the Tuesday right after Labor Day, meaning there was a week between the FNL pilot and the Glee pilot. After the first part, it skips forward a year.

* * *

"Pierce!"

Brittany spun around at the sound of Coach Sylvester's voice, looking at the woman with wide eyes.

"Pierce. You missed the first two weeks of Cheerios practice," Coach Sylvester barked. "Is there a reason I shouldn't kick you off my team?"

"I was in Texas for the summer, Coach. Visiting relatives. The day before I was supposed to come back my cousin Jason was in a really bad accident," Brittany replied, her breath hitching slightly. "H-he's...they don't think he's gonna walk again..."

Coach Sylvester stared hard at the girl in front of her for a moment before nodding curtly. "Fine. But don't miss another practice or you're off the team."

Brittany nodded and watched as the coach walked out of the locker room. Brushing away the tears that had started to gather at the thought of Jason and his injury, Brittany straightened her Cheerios skirt and headed out to the field for practice. Glancing over at where the football team was gathered at the other end of the field, she took a deep breath and let it out slowly, shoving away the memory of Jason being tackled and not getting up. Jason was her favorite cousin and had been the star quarterback of his team, the Dillon Panthers, until just over a week ago when he'd been tackled during the first game of his senior year and ended up paralyzed. She could remember the way her heart had stopped when he didn't get up after that tackle, how it had broken when she found out Jason was paralyzed and would never be able to play football again. Football had been Jay's _life_.

She had never been more thankful than she was now that the McKinley Titans were such a horrible football team or that Coach Sylvester treated games like they were an extra practices. It meant that she didn't have to actually pay attention to the games. Which was really good because she was pretty sure it would be a while before she could actually watch a football game without feeling sick or having a panic attack. Not after what happened to Jay.

Shaking her thoughts away, Brittany blocked out the football team and focused on Coach Sylvester as the older woman started barking out orders.

* * *

Brittany screamed as she saw Sam Evans get tackled. In her mind, the world shifted into slow motion and Sam's red jersey became blue, the black edging around the number six on turning to gold. When the guy that tackled Sam got up and Sam still didn't move, all Brittany could see was her cousin laying on the Panthers field, unnaturally still. Lurching forward a step and not even noticing Coach Sylvester yelling at her or the worried look Santana was sending her way, Brittany dropped to one knee and held her hand in the air, fingers crossed, her eyes never leaving Sam.

When the boy finally started to move, after what seemed like forever even though it was probably only a few seconds, the world seemed to speed up again and Sam was once again wearing McKinley colors. Brittany collapsed in a heap on the ground, a sob ripping its way from her throat and tears streaming down her face as she gasped for breath. Seconds later, she felt arms wrap around her and turned to bury her face in Santana's hair, desperately trying to shove away the memory of Jason getting injured that was running through her mind over and over again.

Ignoring the confused and curious looks she was getting, not to mention the angry glares coming from Coach Sylvester, Brittany let Santana pull her to her feet and lead her off the field toward the locker room. Sitting down on a bench, the blonde dropped her head between her knees and gulped in large breaths of air, trying to get control of herself once more.

"Britt?" Santana asked, sounding worried. "Are you okay? What was that? What happened out there?"

"I...I just...m-my cousin-" Brittany's voice hitched and she took a deep breath, letting it out slowly before trying to continue, "Jason, h-he... he's a couple years older than us and he p-played football in high school. S-star quarterback, w-was gonna be in the NFL. But then, the first game last year...he got hurt. H-he got hit and he went down a-a-and h-he didn't get back up. He j-just...he wasn't moving and I was so scared. And now... He can't walk anymore, S. Ever again. S-seeing Sam go down like that... I-it was like seeing Jay get hurt all over again."

"Oh, Britt..." Santana said softly, pulling the blonde close and holding her, running her fingers through the other girl's hair as she murmured words of comfort. "It's okay, Britt. Evans is gonna be fine."

Brittany just nodded and shifted closer to Santana, soaking in the comfort the other girl was providing.

* * *

Brittany huffed as she flopped onto her back and glared up at her ceiling, wishing she had taken Santana up on her offer to stay with her for the night. She had been tossing and turning for hours, unable to sleep as she kept seeing Jason laying motionless on the football field every time she closed her eyes. Letting out a short growl of annoyance, she rolled over and grabbed her cell phone off the table next to her bed. Hitting her speed dial, she waited impatiently as it rang.

"_Hello?_" The voice was rough with sleep, but just the sound of it had her relaxing.

"Hey, Jay."

"_Britt? What's wrong? Are you okay?_" her cousin asked, worry evident in his voice.

"Yeah, I...I just needed to talk to you," Brittany replied softly.

"_At three-thirty in the morning?_" Jay asked, sounding more awake and slightly amused, but still a little worried.

Brittany winced as she looked over at her clock and saw the time. "...Oops?"

Jason laughed softly and she could practically see him shaking his head at her. "_What's up, Britt?_" Jason asked. "_Not that I don't love hearing from you, but there has to be a reason you're calling this late._"

Brittany sighed and stared back up at her ceiling. "We had a game today," she told him after a short pause, "And our quarterback, Sam, he took a hard hit and he was down for a few seconds and..." Her breath caught and tears started to well up in her eyes. "H-he's fine, but...God, Jay, it was like watching you get hurt all over again. He even has the same number as you. And now it just keeps playing in my head over and over again and... I guess I just needed to hear your voice after that."

"_Hey, you know you can call me any time you need to,_" he told her softly.

"Even three-thirty in the morning?" she asked teasingly, a small smile on her face.

Jason laughed. "_Even three-thirty in the morning._"

"Talk to me?" she requested quietly. "Just until I fall asleep?"

"_Sure,_" he agreed before starting to tell her all about everything that was going on in Dillon.

It wasn't long until she fell asleep to the sound of her cousin's voice.


End file.
